Charles f



(No Model.)

O. P. HENERY.

TAILPIEGE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 591,472. Patented Oct. 12,1897

11 do D l 13 v 12 .4. I192 1D Wz'fne s ses Invenifor: 7, 671012168 141115221 67 m2 "cums PETERS co, mom-mum \vAsmNG ooooo c.

UNITED STATES CHARLES F. HENERY, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRED.

PATENT OFFICE.

J. LAUB, OF SAME PLACE.

TAILPIECE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

$PEGIFIGATION forming part of LettersP atent N 0. 591,472, dated October 12, 1897.

Application filed January 12, 1897. Serial No. 618,907. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. HENERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tailpieces for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a speci fication.

My invention has relation to improvements in tailpieces and bridges to be used in connection with them for guitars and similar stringed instruments; and the objects of my invention are to provide a tailpiece separate from the bridge, so as to be readily removed and replaced, and when in position to firmly interlock with the bridge to afford the same rigidity as though permanently united in a single piece with the bridge, thereby securing similar clearness of tone and that shall be held firmly by the tension of the strings, and to provide openings in the tailpiece in which the knotted ends of the strings may be readily placed and removed, and to provide abridge of peculiar construction to coact with said tailpiece to secure these objects.

To the aforesaid objects my invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described, and then specificallypointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference-numerals indicate like parts in the different figures, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved tailpiece and bridge; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same lookin g toward the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a modified form of the bridge to be used with the tailpiece, and Fig. 4 an end elevation of the bridge shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a plate of metal, as brass, havingits front end of proper width for the desired number of strings, which end is bent sharply backward and thence curved forward, forming an arch 6, and thence curved downward and forward until its end is on the same plane with the body. The rear end is less in width, the intermediate space being inwardly curved on each edge for lightness and to give it a graceful contour, while the extreme end is reduced and rounded and the Whole adapted to be bent at a right angle at the line .90 00, so that the extreme end '7 will hang over the end of the instrument to afford an anchorage against the strain of the strings. The bridge con sists'of a single plate of similar metal in form of a parallelogram of the same width as the tailpiece, but with extended curved ends 3, centrally pierced with holes 12 to permit of its ready attachment to the sounding-board of the instrument. The front half of the plate is bent abruptly upward at a right angle and thence backward and downward against the upright part, the second bend being made at such a distance from the first that the downward bent end will approach the main body of the plate only so near as to leave a space or channel under it of proper width to receive and snugly fit the front end of the tailpiece 1. By this construction the upper edge of the bridge is round and solid, giving a smooth firm rest for the strings, while the channel at the back affords a substantial abutment for the front end of the tailpiece.

In the back of the curved part 6 of the tailpiece are a desired number of holes 5 to insert the knots of the strings into the space 11. Under the arch and from each of these holes extends a narrow tapering slit in which the body of the string rests, these slits differing in Width to adapt them to the different sizes of the strings. By this arrangement the string-knots are readily, quickly, and easily inserted and removed, while the tension of the strings tends to draw and hold the tailpiece and bridge firmly together, and by releasing them the tailpiece is readily removed for cleaning its under face from dust or for any other reason, thereby securing all the advantages of having the tailpiece and bridge united in one piece, with the additional ad vantage of having them separable.

Where greater softness of tone is required than can be secured by a metallic bridge, I substitute for the bridge 2, just described, a wooden bridge 9, Figs. 3 and 4, having its upper face guarded by a wire 8 for the strings to rest on and a groove 10 for the front end of the tailpiece l to enter and rest in in the same mannerastheotherbridge. Toretain thiswooden bridge accurately in place, I insert in its under edge two or more dowel-pins 13, that enter corresponding holes in the sounding-board.

I claim as my invention 1. An improved tailpiece for stringed instruments of the class named, consisting of a sheet of metal adapted to be attached to the end of the instrument, and having its front end curved into an arch and thence extended forward to be inserted in a channel in the base of the bridge, said arched portion being provided with holes to receive the knots of the strings, and slits extending from said holes to receive the strings, substantially as shown and described.

2. An improved bridge for stringed instruments of the class nained, consisting of a sin gle sheet of in etal having a part bent abruptly upward and backward to form the bridge, the backward-bent portion being less in depth than the upward-bent part, to leave a channel for the end of the tailpiece; in combination with a tailpiece adapted to receive and retain the ends of the strings and having its end adapted to enter said channel in said bridge substantially as shown and described.

An improved tailpiece for stringed instruments of the class named, consisting of a sheet of metal having its rear end bent to rest against the end of the instrument arched near its forward end, said arched portion beingprovided with holes and slits extending forward from them; the front end of said tailpiece extended in substantially the same plane with its body; with the end adapted to enter a notch in the bridge; in combination with a bridge having a channel in the base of its back to receive the end of said tailpiece, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above l herounto set my hand.

. CHARLES l llENElt'Y. In presence of- C. E. IIUMPHREY, C. P. HUMPHREY. 

